Banning Catcher in the Rye Essay

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger should not be banned in schools based solely on the fact that it is a controversial book that uses harsh language and sexual references. This book is J. D. Salinger’s freedom of speech, and it is a violation of the first amendment for schools to ban this book. This book is only offering an inside look into what teenagers go through in some point of their lives. According to the Los Angeles Times, The Catcher in the Rye’s, â€Å"†¦ profanity and sexual references drew scandalized reactions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rotella 18). Although this book has many sexual references, it is not in any way as explicit and as bad as what teenagers see and hear nowadays on television and in the world. Holden occasionally thinks and talks about sex: â€Å"Most guys at Pencey talked about having sexual intercourse with girls all the time. † (Salinger 48). The average teenager often thinks and talks about sex. It is not unusual for teenagers to do this. The profanity in this book is also not as bad as it may seem. Patty Salazar, a concerned mother and religious activist, claims that, â€Å"‘It uses the Lord’s name in vain 200 times’† (Rotella 17), but the curse words used in The Catcher in the Rye are nothing that teenagers have not heard before in their everyday lives. Banning The Catcher in the Rye in school is not acceptable. It is a violation of the first amendment, and it is nothing far from what teenagers encounter everyday. This book gives teenagers someone in literature that they are able to relate to in one way or another. The Catcher in the Rye is not a book that will corrupt young readers. The underlying theme of this book is loss of innocence. This loss occurs when a teenager makes the change to adulthood where he or she is obscured by phoniness. By banning this book from schools, the only thing that teenagers would be sheltered from is reality.

Early Identification of Gifted Children Essay

Gifted children are special children that need to be given the right education and attention. They are usually categorized on their capacity to do and produce. Huang (2008) wrote an article on the necessity of identifying them at the earliest time possible in order to nurture, cultivate, and lead them to a successful life. The article is entitled â€Å"Early Identification: Cultivating Success for Young Gifted. In its abstract it stated that â€Å"early identification and cultivating gifted preschoolers provides appropriate education for young children† (Huang, 2008). The kind of education that must be provided to learners must indeed depend on their capacity to learn and understand the concepts and the skills. It is difficult to impose concepts and to require mental and physical exercises beyond the capacity of the children. However, it is also equally frustrating for children of higher capacity to do lesser tasks when they have higher level of comprehension and performance. It is important therefore that parents must be able to assess the capacity of their children. It is imperative that parent must be able to detect that their children are not the usual children who can easily cope up with the environment and different situations as they expect them to be. The question however, would be the capacity of the parents and family members to identify the giftedness of their children. Parents could not waste time. The earlier time they can identify that there children are gifted, the greater the chances of leading their children to a fuller and happier life. This is what many other researchers have stressed on child giftedness: â€Å"There is no more crucial period in human development that childhood for maximizing the potential of gifted preschoolers (Odorn, Hanson, Blackman & Kaul, 2003 as cited by Huang, 2008)†. There are many ways in which child giftedness may be identified at an earlier stage. In Huang’s study where he utilized earlier researches and studies and reviewed relevant documents, he pointed out that early identification that were used in the 21st century were simple activities such as arranging of puzzles, building of blocks, and figuring of words on the back of cereal boxes. Huang investigated on the effectiveness of the implementation and the service treatment in three (3) phases: (1) â€Å"integrating the rationale of a development system of products; (2) analyzing service support and coordination and service approach about service treatment and benefits; and (3) outlining the future perspective. What Huang tried to establish in his study were also seen by other researchers such as Silverman (2007) who along with other researchers studies the development of gifted children. The following are some of the highlights in the study of Silver man that supports the thesis of Huang’s study: â€Å"(1) parents are excellent identifiers of giftedness of their children; (2) giftedness can be observed in the first three years; (3) when parents fail to recognize giftedness of children, teacher most likely do the same; (4) ideal age for testing is between five and eight; (5) second children are most likely gifted than firstborn children; (6) gifted children have different coping mechanisms and are likely to face problems; (7) they are asynchronous with uneven developments; (8) they have better social adjustment in classes with children like them; (9) traits such perfectionism, sensitivity, and intensity are associated with them; (10) most of them are introvert; (11) they have learning disabilities; and (12) giftedness cuts across all social groups (Silverman, 2007). The concept of Huang who stressed the need to identify giftedness was confirmed by Elhoweris (2008) who also explained what Silverman and her fellows found out in their years of practice. Elhoweris also pointed out that the gifted children are neglected in terms of educational and development programs: â€Å"One of the most serious problems plaguing in the field of gifted education is the need for the development of appropriate programs and identification procedures for gifted and talented students from different culturally and diverse backgrounds (Ford & Harris, 1991; Maker, 1996 as cited by Elhoweris, 2008)†. There is so much about child giftedness. Parent and teachers and the whole society must be work together in order to draw a better program that would bring out the best from the gifted children. Huang in his abstract of the study states: The experiences of early intervention in education can powerfully impact on attitudes toward learning confidence and later achievements for all children. The optimal development for gifted pre-school with individual special needs can be enhanced with intervention at early age (Huang, 2008). Parents and teachers then must be gentle and patient with their children and find every time and effort to identify the condition of their children or their students.The chance for the gifted children to succeed lies with the commitment of the parents and the educators. References: About. com. (1999). Young gifted children. GABC Newsletter. 1(1): 1 Retrieved October 5, 2008, from http://giftedkids. about. com/gi/dynamic/offsite. htm? zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn= giftedkids&cdn=parenting&tm=221&gps=101_1013_796_713&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www3. telus. net/giftedcanada/erlychild. pdf Elhoweris, H. (2008). â€Å"Teacher judgment in identifying gifted/talented students. † Multicultural Education. Retrieved, October 5, 2008 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3935/is_/ai_n25500441 Goliath. com. (2008). â€Å"Considerations for conducting culturally responsive research in gifted education,† Gifted Child Today. Retrieved October 5, 2008 from http://goliath. ecnext. com/coms2/gi_0199-8043736/Considerations-for-conducting-culturally-responsive. html Goliath. Com (2006). â€Å"Closing the achievement gap: How gifted education can help,† Gifted Child. Retrieved, October 5, 2008 from http://goliath. ecnext. com/coms2/gi_0199-5841295/Closing-the-achievement-gap-how. html Huang, Y. H. (2008). â€Å"Early identification: Cultivating success for young gifted children,† Gifted Education International 24 (1): 118-124. Silverman, L. (2007). â€Å"What we have learned about gifted children,† Gifted Development Center. Retrieved October 5, 2008 from http://www. gifteddevelopment. com/ What_is_Gifted/learned. htm

James Bond: Standing the Test of Time Essay

My fellow film enthusiasts, just like the contemporary version of this iconic drink, the core formula of any Bond film can be seen as a ‘shaken not stirred’ concoction of girls, guns, gadgets and villains all revolving around the essential main character, James Bond. Like the classic martini it is this formula which has been, when necessary, enhanced and refined to represent changing societal values, attitudes and beliefs from 1962 to present. This ability to sustain the longevity of the franchise by appealing to contemporary audiences is why Bond can be seen to stand the test of time. The evolution of films throughout the franchise can best be illustrated when examining two Bond movies which are more than four decades apart; Sean Connery’s 1964 Goldfinger, and Daniel Craig’s 2006 Casino Royale. These films specifically highlight two main elements of the Bond formula; the character portrayal of James Bond and the depiction of women in society and how they have evolved to suit the taste buds of the particular time. The most obvious, yet fundamentally important aspect of the Bond franchise is the construction of 007 himself, James Bond. The construction of Bond is a complex fabric, sewn with puns and audaciously graceful remarks, then taken and intricately fused with his uncompromising skills as an ‘MI6 assassin’. These traits portray him as a hero who provides a level of escapism, while still being implicitly understood by contemporary audiences. In Goldfinger, Connery’s handsome, resourceful and collected Bond flagrantly dismisses women when he has to attend to ‘man talk’. He must also ironically resort to physically restraining himself from indulging in any sexual temptations. This era of film strongly appealed to viewers who were looking for a respite from the pseudo-American toughness which was obligatory to male protagonist films of the 1960s, characterised by such movies as Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry and Paul Newman’s Cool Hand Luke. We again see Bond’s tongue-in-cheek humour when he retorts â€Å"I must be dreaming† after being introduced to Goldfinger’s personal pilot Pussy Galore. This inability to refrain from speaking a man’s ‘inner monologue’ and his failure to accept Galore is unaffected by his charm, is characteristic of a man who is a product of a pre-feminist society. Bond is a man who audiences are willing to accept can engage the problems of the world, can seduce any woman along the way, and win. Turn the clock forward to Casino Royale in 2006 and we find the birth of a new sophisticated, masculine yet emotionally vulnerable Bond. Craig transforms Bond into a man who has lost none of the wit, pithy comebacks or refined repertoire found in the Connery Bond. He is however no longer the emotionally detached killer depicted in Goldfinger. By 2006 he is a man who wears the burdens of his actions. Bond is repeatedly subjected to the strict, almost dictatorial command of females such as M.  Threatened to have his status of ‘00’ revoked and plainly exposed by M, where she states â€Å"utter one more syllable I’ll have you killed† Bond is displayed as almost a ‘liability’ to the British secret service. He is portrayed as a man who is driven to play by his own rules, yet still cautiously walks the line of bureaucracy; arguably a modern day J. Edgar Hoover. Upon meeting Vesper Lynd, the leading Bond girl of the film, Bond immediately engages her in hyper-critical verbal parry where each person attempts to uncover emotional experiences from the other’s past. Their critical conversation reaches its climax when Bond replies â€Å"you’re not my type† to which Vespa retorts â€Å"smart† â€Å"single†¦Ã¢â‚¬  illustrating Bond is able to finish a conversation with no sexual resolve, depicting a man who is more interested in a mental challenge rather than a sexual resolution. A man who now could arguably live up to the elevated social expectations of women such as Germaine Greer. This new Bond reflects the changes in societal attitudes when men are expected to be in touch with their inner selfs and their emotions, a trait which is mirrored in other contemporary films such as Bruce Willis’s Die Hard 4. . Although glamorous women are an essential part of the core formula, their portrayal has evolved over time in accordance with changing societal attitudes and beliefs displayed by contemporary audiences. Connery’s Bond in Goldfinger would be viewed today as nothing more than a misogynistic dinosaur who uses and objectifies women for no greater purpose than sexual pleasure. This is deliberately obvious within the first scene of Goldfinger where Bond seduces, and then uses a woman as a human shield whilst defending himself against his enemies; portraying her life as having less value and being more dispensable than his. This objectification of women is again depicted by Goldfinger’s inauspiciously named pilot and commander of his female aerial squadron, blonde bombshell and judo expert Pussy Galore. She is a female who could be depicted more accurately as a coordinator of a burlesque troop rather than covert military operatives. Galore is blatantly explicit with Bond when she states â€Å"you can turn off your charm, I’m immune. † Bond takes this sexual fend as a challenge rather than a rejection, as he continues to force himself upon her, highlighted by their fight and subsequent sexual interaction. If this encounter was to be emulated in a modern film, today’s society would view this as unacceptable conduct, both verbally and physically, as it is blatantly offensive towards women’s rights. Whatever happened to no means no? This segment of Goldfinger however would have appealed to the contemporary era of a 1960s audience, as behaviour such as this was viewed as politically and socially correct, however not necessarily accepted, at that time. This objectification and stereotyping of women has been challenged in social and feminist movements from the late 1960s through to the present day. Speakers such as Naomi Wolf and Susan Faludi have inspired and enlightened women to demand equal rights and illustrated how they have previously been socially and physically dominated by men. Women are now well educated, self sufficient, authoritative and independent; exemplified by M’s statement in Casino Royale, â€Å"I report to the Prime Minister and even he’s smart enough not to ask me what we do. Have you ever seen such a bunch of self-righteous, ass-covering pricks? † This obliterates the ideals that women need to be chaperoned by men in order to make executive decisions. This new image of capable and headstrong women, symbolised by M and Vepser Lynd, is the defining statement from a post-feminist society. Portrayed not as a ‘disposable’ Bond girl, Vesper can be seen to reach a level of emotional attachment to Bond whereby she exposes a mutual vulnerability previously not depicted in earlier films. It is this human connection that a contemporary educated audience now expects. This mix of powerful yet emotionally susceptible women is also clearly paralleled in other contemporary movies such as the women of Sex and the City. The adaptation, modification and the overall evolution of the James Bond franchise has always been in pursuit of the same goal; depicting a current, contemporary and desirable Bond for a modern audience. Just like the classic martini it is this core formula which has been enhanced and refined from 1962 to present. This ability to sustain the longevity of the franchise by appealing to the tastes of contemporary audiences is why Bond, the man of all the right words, the man with the ‘golden gun’ will continue to inspire and captivate audiences until the end of time.

Assessment of the Idea of Liberty As Illustrated By Hannah Arendt In, What Is Freedom

Assessment of the Idea of Liberty As Illustrated By Hannah Arendt In, What Is Freedom The concept of freedom is an abstract one that is only realized when a person sets it into motion. In What is Freedom, Hannah Arendt challenges the widespread belief that liberty extends from the freedom of thought and will. Arendt emphasizes that actions performed unhinged from consequences are true bouts of freedom. What is Freedom dispels the accustomed definition found in government, textbooks, and marketplace and replaces it with freedom as a gateway of creativity and boundlessness. The common sense notion of freedom has been etched into the framework of our society. The â€Å"Land of the Free† otherwise known as the United States of America, etches the entitlement to our life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as the focal point of its’ Constitution. Similarly, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines freedom as â€Å"the state of being free† and â€Å"a political right† (Merriam-Webster.com). In economics, the term laissez-faire, the abstention by governments from interfering in the workings of the free market† is the quintessential cornerstone of one of our most defining national traits, capitalism (OxfordDictionaries.com). All three of these definitions stress, in one form or another, that freedom is possessive. We possess rights that protect us from an oppressive government, slavery, or even the business-incentive crushing Communism. The most general of these meanings â€Å"the state of being free† only serves to a dd intangibility and uncertainty to an already scantly defined concept. This common sense notion of freedom umbrellas the different ways a person can make decisions. These can be the rationality of a person to select a choice, to want/need to have ownership of property, or incentive work towards a cause of interest. Despite this general understanding, Arendt argues against these concepts. While â€Å"we hold human freedom to be a self-evident truth† Arendt defines the common sense notion just as the inward space into which men may escape from external coercion and feel free† (Arendt 647, 649). Freedom in its pure form is an abstract concept. Since we cannot empirically measure freedom by the number of people emancipated from slavery, nor can we quantify its’ workings through calculating marginal utility, the crux comes from establishing an encompassing operational definition. Arendt developed a solution stating that for an â€Å"Action to be free, it must be free from motive on one side, from its intended goal as a predictable effect on the other† (Arendt 653). Thus for the infinite number of possibilities that can result from making a choice or an action, as long as the person makes a choice unbeknownst of any external influence, they are free. For example choosing between multiple choice options on an AP exam does not entail freedom if the test taker reads the question and selects the answer that best fits, even if there exist a potential margin of error. Contrariwise, if the student spontaneously selects a choice based on intrinsic preferences for an answe r letter, ignoring the terms of the question and the answers, he has attained freedom. In this way the answer â€Å"as it is free is neither under the guidance of the intellect nor under the dictate of the will† (Arendt 654). If will and intellect are engaged, however, the person is guided towards a solution logically and thus freedom is not present. The student is using goal setting, or aim. Since â€Å"Aim is not a matter of freedom, but of right or wrong judgment† if the student answers option C because the question leads them to the logical conclusion that the text in C is correct they practiced aim not freedom (Arendt 653). Arendt’s conception of freedom is based on the concept of principles. These principles â€Å"such as honor or glory, or love of equality . . . inspire. . . [and become] fully manifest only in the performing act itself† (Arendt 654). This inspiration is the reason for freedom’s volatility. When a person exerts an action in a free state the person is guided by this burst of inspiration from the principle to select one out of an unlimited number of outcomes. Inspiration differs from that of an aim because is not fully realized until the action is completed. Additionally principles lose â€Å"nothing in strength or validity through execution† unlike goals which vanish once they are completed (Arendt 654). Since principles are everlasting sources of inspiration, they outline the creative freedom that exists within man. Arendt arrived at the conclusion that the ability to act freely, guided only by principles, is the reason that art exists. Humans exercise unrestricted talents with unlimited outcomes guided by undefined inspiration when creating art. This is why â€Å"the element of freedom, certainly present in the creative arts, remains hidden† (Arendt 655). Although the end result of art is often guided by a motive such as recognition or money, the artist that created it was guided freely without any bounds. The effect of inspiration on a person becomes the axiom that â€Å"freedom is a worldly reality, tangible in words that can be heard, in deeds which can be seen, and in events which are . . . incorporated into the great storybook of human history† (Arendt 656). Arendt imposes a new meaning on the liberty of humans. Unlike the common sense notion where freedom exists in the forms of; ownership of property, the right to unalienable rights, and options to choose, a person practicing Arendt’s notion of freedom is not restricted by the choices in front of them. By letting go of your ephemeral motives, by replacing it with inexhaustible principles you unlock a freedom that has no bounds. Instead of having a choice from options, you can pick an undefined number of other options that are not listed. Conclusively Arendt believes that, freedom is not the right to choose your own adventure. Freedom is the ability to create it.

A policy dictating mandatory marriage classes before couples get Essay - 2

A policy dictating mandatory marriage classes before couples get married should be introduced - Essay Example This article therefore is a reflection of the whole process of working on this project. The reflection outlines the lessons that I have learned, the challenges that I encountered, and what can be done to bring about improvement if a similar project is to be embarked on again. The process of working on this project was long and I learned many lessons from it. Generally, three of them are patience, endurance and planning. Planning was very vital to beat the deadlines. There was a need for strict adherence to the time schedule and this called for self discipline, endurance and patience. Endurance and discipline were especially significant because a lot of time was required in sourcing the correct materials from the internet. Writing the proposal and working on the presentation was quite exhausting and required a strong will to complete. Nevertheless, the project proved useful and I learned a lot was about the topic and academic writing as I continue to discuss below. The topic of the project made it possible to view divorce from a different perspective. I now understand divorce as a serious issue whose effect can be felt by the whole nation – I did not think that divorce was this serious before. The view that marriage and, specifically, wrangles in marriage is a private issue was corrected. I found out that these wrangles are often due to lack of counseling and when divorce is the end product; the government, in the long run, has some costs to incur. ‘Marriage is a public good’ was a phrase I found appropriate in encouraging pre-marital counseling. The topic also made it possible for me to understand that marriage is not a bed of roses since it is a union of two human beings and since human being are not angels they are likely to conflict with each other. I must say I had not seriously thought of marriage from this angle. This project involved a lot of writing and as a result I learned a lot about carrying out a research and

What does the customer expect from motor vehicle carrier Essay - 1

What does the customer expect from motor vehicle carrier - Essay Example Then the results will be used in reviewing and producing improvements of the service. As much as possible, the monitoring and the survey should be done on a regular basis to make sure that all the needs and expectations are answered on time. The most important aspect is to make customers feel that they are valuable and their interests are important to the carrier. Motor vehicle carrier is extremely important in every place for this is the most accessible in all modes of transportation. This is the most dominant means of transportation in the U.S. because it has potential access in transporting goods at any point of destination over short and longer places without restrictions (â€Å"Transportation,† n.d.). Currently, the U.S. has 765 motor vehicles that include line haul vehicles for longer destinations and city straight trucks for short distances. The carrier had accounted for an increase in carrier sales of about 5% and a revenue growth of 30% (O’Reilly, 2008). The most dominant among all these vehicles are the passenger vehicles that reported a 97 sales percentage in the U.S. market particularly in local areas. The industry had encountered several changes carried by deregulation and liberalization in the economy with few exceptions that motor carriers under the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 (STAA) will have th eir freedom to do business at their own perspectives as long as the rates are also rightful to the passengers (U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, 1988, p. 55). This freedom is governed by STTA and the carriers are still obliged to follow the terms and conditions specified as to the truck routes and vehicle specifications. Customer’s expectation is one of the important features of motor vehicle carriers because this is a prerequisite of being superior (Coyle, Novack, Gibson, & Bardi, 2010, p. 169). â€Å"The customer’s service expectation acts

The affect of the healthcare reform on for-profit vs. non-profit Research Paper

The affect of the healthcare reform on for-profit vs. non-profit hospitals - Research Paper Example Health insurance and public health have been in the front line in this kind of debates as well as to what extent should the state offer assistance. Provision of healthcare is a task that encompasses provision of various healthcare services, relevant equipments to hospitals, pharmaceutical products, life sciences funding and funding in biotechnology. The activities that relate to healthcare and the centers where this is carried out include the hospitals, nursing and elderly homes, those involved in provision of healthcare plans, provision of laboratory services, drug manufacturing and delivery, diagnostic substances and biotechnology itself. Therefore, this is a line that required care to handle in the case of governments as it is a resource intensive sector. This also shows how the introduction as well as implementation of reforms can be quite a task as the stakeholders involved are many resulting to many and divergent views (Woolhandler 1997). This is what characterized the healthcare reforms bill that Obama administration brought forth. Healthcare reforms in a broader sense aim at placing more people under the health care bracket with the intervention of the government (public sector) and the private companies which offer health insurance (Congressional Budget Office 2010). The other aim is to increase the accessibility of health services and health specialists while at the same time ensuring quality improvement in regards to health care and at a relatively lower cost. The reforms also should focus on increasing the number of the providers of health care among which consumers will choose. In the United States in particular issues of healthcare reforms mostly relate to the sustainability of programs adopted, government spending on these reforms, the right to heath care, the fairness to the various people in the society, quality of the health care provided and